


It's Safe Now, Cariño

by JillyWinchester



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Jaime, Alpha! Jaime, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bart is clueless, Cuddling & Snuggling, DOESN'T ACTUALLY OCCUR, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Khaji Da ships it, Light Angst, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Movie Night, Nesting, No Sex, No Smut, No Underage Sex, Omega Bart, Omega! Bart, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sleepovers, Sleepy Cuddles, Trauma, khaji da is protective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillyWinchester/pseuds/JillyWinchester
Summary: An omega's first few heats are important things.  While they are in no way sexual, the care a young omegas pack takes when handling these first heats will impact the omega for the rest of their lives.Or, a cute/angsty story where Bart ignores his heat and crashes the mode, and Jaime helps him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Comments give me life. Literally. Yesterday, someone commented on a really old fic, so I was inspired to finish writing this.

An omega's first heats are never sexual.  They're a big stewing pot of emotions and instincts and hormones, and all an omega needs in the warmth and comfort of a nest.  Nesting is always a given with any heat, but for some reason, new omegas seem to be more determined to have the perfect nest. 

Bart had ignored his first two heats.  Which was a dangerous thing to do, but they had a world to save, and it's what he'd been taught.  "No matter what," his mother had told him at only six years old. "Never let them know your classification.  Make sure they think you're a beta, else they'll send you to the farms."

He still had nightmares about the possibility of the farms. They were the places all the Alphas and Omegas went and were forced to breed in. Bart had never been inside, but once he'd had to haul some crates to just outside the gates.  The  _ sound _   Screaming, some wanton, some agonized.  It was  horrible .  

So naturally, when Bart's third heat came, he planned on ignoring it.  The possibility of a mission was far too important than giving in to silly urges.

It was harder than it seemed.

Something inside him  _ itched _ . Everything in him screaming to nest, to find his pack.  But Bart didn't have a pack. He had the team-but they all had their own packs, and he had the Garricks-but they couldn't handle a young omega right now, he was just their charity case.

He needed to run, to get away from everything and clear his head.  Bart quickly put on his suit and goggles and  _ ran _ .  His legs pounded familiarly against sand, then grass, then asphalt, then grass again.  He steadied his breathing, focusing on the feeling. He could do this, he wasn't weak. He didn't need the things other omegas did.  So why then, did he want it so bad?

\---

(JAIME REYES.  Proximity Alert.  5.8 miles east. Your mate approaches.)  

Jaime took a last glance at where Milagro was playing on the playground and pulled out his phone.  He found it lessened the weird looks when it seemed he was on the phone rather than yelling at himself.  "You mean Bart?"

(Yes.)

"How many times do I have to tell you, we're not together.  Never have been, probably never will be. Why would you even think that ese?" 

(When around Bart Allen, heart rate increases, pupils dilate, and phenylethylamine production increases.  You are mates)

Jaime's face burned red.  Okay, maybe he did have a little crush on the speedster, but that was it.  All it would ever be. Bart didn't know when his birthday was (seeing as he was from an apocalyptic future) but he was probably two or three years younger than Jaime, and his mother had taught him better than that.  Maybe when they were both older though...

It didn't matter.  Khaji Da had said proximity alert.  "Is he getting closer?"

(Negative.  Your mate seems to be running back and forth along the highway.)  Jaime didn't mention that Bart  _ wasn't his mate _ .  All that mattered was that Bart was running along the interstate.

The thing about Bart, he never ran anywhere without a destination.  The only time Jaime had ever seen Bart run aimlessly like that was just after Wally died.  He'd been a mess, and Flash was no better, so Jaime went after him. 

It took 2 hours to convince him to slow down (thank god he didn't take out his comm)

"It's my fault."  he'd said numbly when he'd finally stopped somewhere in Utah.  "He- in my time, he- Jaime, he wasn't supposed to  _ die _ .  If I had just slowed  _ down _ -"

Jaime had just held him close as they flew to El Paso.  Mrs. Reyes never minded visitors, especially visitors that had saved Jaime's life.

So who  _ the hell  _ hurt Bart?!


	2. Let Me Protect You, Asshole

"Milagro! We're going!"

"What!?" Milagro asked incredulously. 

"Yep."

"Please Jaime, 5 more minutes!"

Jaime sighed and kneeled down to his little sisters level.  "You remember Bart? The boy who slept on our couch a few months ago?"

Milagro squinted, thinking,  but eventually nodded. 

"Well, he's in trouble, and I have to help him."

At this, Milagro's eyes widened, and she nodded solemnly at Jaime, grabbing for his hand.  They walked back to the house (which was only a few blocks away), and Jaime left her at the door.  "Tell Mom I'll be home as soon as I can."

___

"Bart?"

"Heeeeyyyy hermano," Bart was slightly out of breath-not good.  "We got a mission?"

"You know Nightwing assigns the mission, ese."

"I know, I know, thought that maybe you got a heads up before everyone else,"

"Bart, are you-" (JAIME REYES Questioning your mate about his emotional health could cause him to flee) "um, hey, meet me at the Watchtower in a few minutes."

Jaime hung up and hurried back into the house.  

"Jaime?  Weren't you going out?"

"Yeah Mom, just gotta get something first," he said entering his room and grabbing a sweatshirt (it could get cold in the tower) and some cash.  "See ya!"

\----

Bart was most definitely  _ not panicking _ .  Why would he be panicking?  Jaime had just called and wanted to hang out.  That was all. His heart was just racing like this because he'd spent the last few hours running alongside various interstates.  It was just a coincidence that Jaime called on the 16th lap past the El Paso exit. Bart wasn't worried.

\---

Jaime arrived just ten minutes later with a huge bag of that caramel popcorn Bart liked and a six-pack of pop.

"Hey, hermano!" greeted Bart, jumping up and racing over to give Jaime one of his signature crushing hugs.

(SCANNING MATE'S PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH)

(PROCESSING)

(JAIME REYES.  Your mate is in distress.  Bart Allen is in heat, and it appears he has not nested.  See to it he does so immediately. Suggestion: Terminate those responsible)

Jaime's eyes widened, and he fought the urge to ask Khaji  _ what the fresh hell  _ he was talking about.  But Khaji was never wrong.  

"Hey, bonita, wanna go watch a movie?"

"Yeah!" Bart said enthusiastically, leaving and coming back in a millisecond with a bunch of DVDs in his hands.  "Which one?"

Jaime hadn't heard of any of them, so he just grabbed the one that looked the best.  

"Hey, popcorn!"

"Yep, you better share some,"

Bart ran to the common room and popped the disk in.  Jaime barely noticed as the movie started and Bart ate most of the popcorn.  'Bart Allen is in heat, and it appears he has not nested' is what Khaji had said.  Not nested? If that were true, Bart should be freaking out right now. Twitching, uncomfortable, at the very least asking for blankets.  But he wasn't. In fact, all Bart had done for the past half hour was drum his hands on his knees, and laugh at how terrible the special effects were.  He was showing  _ way _  too much self-control.

"You okay Bart?" (Asking such questions is pointless Jaime Reyes, your mate is in heat and has not taken any measures to nest.  Rectify this immediately)

"What?" Bart's voice cracked.  He cleared his throat. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

(Why does your mate lie, Jaime Reyes?  Does he not trust you?)

"Bart,"  Jaime said sternly, trying and failing to imitate all the alphas he'd seen on TV.  It seemed to have the opposite effect than he intended because Bart began to laugh nervously.

"What?" he asked, smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"Are you in heat?" (I have already told you your mate is in heat, Jaime Reyes!)

Bart jumped up from the couch as if he'd been burned.  "What?!" his eyes widened, and his breathing became short and erratic.  Jaime worried he was having some sort of attack. (CALM YOUR MATE, JAIME REYES, FURTHER PANIC COULD LEAD TO INJURY)

“Heh-I don’t know what you’re talking about her-man-o!  Haven’t I told you, I’m a beta!” He made a sort of ‘ta-da!’ motion with his hands.  “We don’t exactly get heats.”

“Bart, even though an omega's first few heats can’t be sensed by alphas, we could tell something was wrong.” Jaime said carefully.  “Khaji Da scanned you. We know. Why haven’t you been nesting?”

Bart gulped.  Then, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment!


	3. The Mess We've Made

Ok.  This was bad.  Ultra super mega ‘a traumatized speedster omega in heat just disappeared and it’s all my fault’  _ bad.   _ Bart could be anywhere by now.  Probably alone. Or worse, with somebody who would do him harm.  Oh God, omegas were always weaker during heats-even the first ones.  This was all his fault. Bart was scared and cold and alone and probably thought Jaime was mad at him and-

(JAIME REYES! You must focus!  The Bart Allen is still in the Watchtower, in level Z12)

Jaime steadied his breathing and raced to the elevator. He’d known Bart had had a terrible life, before.  That the Blue Beetle destroyed the world and enslaved humanity, and that Bart would never be completely healed from the trauma. But why had he freaked so bad when Jaime asked if he was in heat?  

Soon, Jaime found himself on level Z12, with no Bart in sight.  

“Khaji?”

(Left, Jaime Reyes, in the corner by the refrigerator.)

Jaime turned, to find Bart cowering just where Khaji had said.  It was a terrible sight, and a sudden urge to head to the future just to slaughter every Reach soldier who had done this to Bart overcame him- but it soon passed, replaced with the overwhelming feeling that it was most likely  _ him  _ who had done this to Bart, and the urge to cradle him in his arms and apologize over and over.

But that probably wasn’t what Bart needed right now.

Jaime approached the corner and sat in front of Bart, who had his arms wrapped around his knees and was studying his beat-up running shoes. He was whispering to himself now at superspeed- and it took a moment for Khaji Da to translate.

(He is saying, “I let them find me, I let them find me, oh god they’ll take me” repeatedly, Jaime Reyes)

“Bart.” Jaime said softly, trying not to scare him.  He fails. Bart looks up sharply, eyes so wide they might just pop out of his head.  “Can I come closer?”

Bart gulped and nodded. 

“You don’t have to be afraid, bonito, it’s okay, you’re safe.  I don’t know what they did to omegas in the future, but I’ll never let anyone hurt you.  It’s different here, it’s safe now, carino.  Can I touch you?” Bart sighed and nodded again, so Jaime scooted closer and put an arm around him, and made sure not to comment on the way Bart melted into the simple touch.  “It’s okay, this shouldn’t last much longer. Can you breathe with me?”

They breathed together for a few minutes, all the while Jaime’s mind was racing.  What was he going to do now? How would he get Bart to stop ignoring his heat? Would Bart want suppressants?  Would the Garricks let him have them? What happened to omegas in the Reach apocalypse? Wh-

“Jaime?” Bart asked, getting Jaime’s attention, and letting him see the cute position he was in, tucked under Jaime’s arm, looking up with big eyes at him.  Course, he didn’t wanna repeat the way they got here- but maybe next time they could skip the panic attack and head straight for cuddling.

“Yeah carino?”

“Can we, um, finish that movie?”

Jaime smiled and nodded, they could talk about Bart’s habits and trauma later.  For now, he simply picked the smaller boy up and carried him back to the common room, placing him on the couch while he went to go look for the missing remote.

When he returned, the remote held triumphantly in his hand, Bart was shivering and twitching, eyes glazed and unfocused. 

Sex ed was basically useless, but one thing it taught Jaime was that in order for an omega to be comfortable during their heat, they must be warm and surrounded by familiar scents.  So, Jaime did the one thing he could think of besides calling the whole team over for a cuddle puddle. He took off his favorite sweatshirt and gave it to Bart.

“What the-” Bart tried to give the sweatshirt back, but Jaime only pushed it into his hands.  

“I know you don’t want to talk about it right now, but you need this.”

“But, this is your favorite-”

“All the better.  You can give it back later, okay?”  Bart nodded, hugging the sweatshirt close to his chest, then quickly putting it on.

“Thanks”

Jaime simply smiled and pulled his mate closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Comment!


	4. Fluff

As the credits roll, Jaime notices Bart is twitching again and playing with his hands.  (JAIME REYES, simply giving your mate a sweatshirt is not enough. You must do more) It was true, Jaime did need to do more, but how was he supposed to talk to someone about something they’d just had a panic attack about?

Oh well, might as well just jump in.

“Can we talk about it?”

Bart gulped. “Umm- if we have to.”

Yeah.  They had to.  

“Were omegas not allowed in your future?”

“No.  Well, kinda.  Every alpha and omega were moded, and taken to the farms for breeding.  In order to survive, you had to be a beta. I- before she died, my mom told me to never let anyone know if I wasn’t a beta.  It-not being a beta was a death sentence, the horror stories some people tell about the farms- they’re terrible.” He said this all very fast-so Khaji Da had to translate.

“Why did you hide your heat, now that you’re in the future? The Garricks aren’t against omegas, are they?  If they are, Bart, you don’t have to stay with them- I can convince my mom to let you stay over, or-”

“No, Jaime, they aren’t against omegas, I just-” Bart sighed, and his shoulders slumped.  “I, I got so  _ scared _  when my first one came, and I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t wanna be a burden, so I just.. ignored it.  Pushed through.”

Oh,  _ Bart.   _ “Chulo, you don’t ever have to worry about being a burden.   _**Ever**.”  _  Jaime put a hand on his shoulder, then pulled him into a tight hug, not daring to mention the tears that sprang to Bart’s eyes and threatened to fall.  “But you do have to worry about your heat. Bart, it’s  _ really, really  _ important that you take care of yourself, or let me or someone else take care of you, especially when you’re in heat.  If you don’t, it could be really dangerous.”

“Okay..” Bart whispered into Jaime’s chest, nodding his agreement.

“Now,” Jaime clapped his hands together, trying not to dwell on the moment.  “You have to nest. No objections.”

Bart’s face burned, and he examined his shoes again.  “I, I’ve only seen it on T.V.”

Oh, yeah.  Jaime should’ve thought about that.  Oh well, Jaime had helped his cousin build her first nest while everyone else was working.  This wouldn’t be much different.

Bart didn’t have much personal stuff at the tower, and neither did anyone else, so the nest mostly consisted of  Barts bed, stolen blankets, Jaime’s sweatshirt (used as a pillowcase), and a lightning-bolt emoji plush Jaime had won Bart at the fair.

As the two boys sit in the nest, munching on leftover caramel popcorn and slowly falling asleep, Khaji Da was planning a way to make Bart an even better nest at his house, and how to make him Jaime’s official bonded mate.

Jaime didn’t intervene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! Thanks for reading all the way to the end. Tell me what you thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Please Comment!


End file.
